FREE AMERICA’S TURF AUTHORITY SINCE 1894 THE PAPER TO READ WHEN YOU’RE PLAYING TO WIN WINNINGWINNING TECHNIQUESTECHNIQUES FROMFROM DAILYDAILY RACINGRACING FORMFORM Inside 10 SIMPLE ANGLES • BEYER SPEED FIGURES • TOMLINSON RATINGS • TRAINER FORM WAGERING AND WINNING • BETTING EXOTICS ON A LIMITED BUDGET PAGE 2 WINNING TECHNIQUES IT’S ALL IN THE FORM A race is an engaging spectacle and horses are magnificent creatures, but without past performances thoroughbred racing would be a 4-H It’s fun attraction at the county fair. It is the wealth of statistical information about horses and their handlers that allows everyone in the business – to win by be they bettors, breeders, owners or jockeys – to make the decisions and investments that make this the greatest game ever invented. accident, For over a century, that information has been assembled by Daily Racing Form, an independent newspaper beholden to no one but its picking a readers. Its sole mission is to present the most comprehensive and accu- rate news and statistics. Steven Crist lucky name In keeping with the information explosion of the last decade, the Form Editor & Publisher has more than doubled the amount of data it presents on each horse and Daily Racing Form vastly expanded its news coverage and commentary. In 1999, The New Yorker magazine called or color, the Form “the best newspaper in America.” As a new century begins, that same newspaper is now available online at www.drf.com. but far Learning to analyze the past performances in the Form is a very individual process. There are no inherently “correct” ways to handicap, and lifelong devotees say they learn something new more every day. This booklet’s aim is not to pick winning horses but to explain the fundamentals so that you can start picking your own winners and feeling rightfully proud when you do. It’s fun gratifying to win by accident, picking a lucky name or color, but far more gratifying to win by design. to win by design. STEVEN CRIST is the CEO, editor and publisher of Daily Racing Form, which was purchased in 1998 by an investment group headed by Alpine Capital of New York. As he did with The Racing Times during its one- year existence in 1991-1992, Crist has since busied himself in assembling, organizing and directing a staff of handicappers and writers that have supplied racing’s customers with reportage, opinion, analysis and past- performance enhancements. Crist is formerly the turf writer for The New York Times, editor-in-chief of The Racing Times, and a NYRA exec- utive, roles that have combined to afford him an aura of authority and credibility throughout the industry. The new business venture has taken Crist away from the playing field, where his reputation as a pick-six spe- cialist had grown to enviable proportions. His columns in Daily Racing Form not only reflect the interests of handicappers and bettors absolutely, but also contain the analytical thinking that has inevitably characterized Crist’s writing. A graduate of Harvard, where he was a member of The Harvard Lampoon, Crist is the author of “The Horse Traders,” a lively account of the high-stakes breeding game of the 1980’s. Crist lives in Hempstead, N.Y. WINNING TECHNIQUES PAGE 3 TRAINER FORM DRF Exclusive! Trainer Form explained It’s always easy to Monday morning quarterback when evaluating long to get him back into action? If he had been racing over his head the result of a race a few minutes after it’s been declared official or the in his first start, why didn’t his trainer drop him into a Maiden day after when you’re trying to latch onto a legitimate excuse as to Claimer, which would have appeared to be a more suitable class level? why your selection ran up the track. While all handicapping factors Although it’s impossible for the handicapper to confidently answer have their own degree of importance (with some obviously more any of these questions (the best he or she could do would be to make important than others), there can never be enough written about the an educated guess) observing some of the trainer angles printed in the significance of trainer angles and the “human element.” Trainers are past performances could help shed some light on the human beings and all humans are creatures of habit. Having said that handicapping puzzle. there are specific patterns and categories that identify the strengths Despite the fact that trainer Robert Bailes was having and weaknesses of all trainers. As a handicapper, your job is to iden- a rough 2001 campaign (42 2 .05), and was winless at the tify these positive and negative angles, effectively apply them to your current meet (10 0 1 0 .00), a closer look at his individual handicapping regimen, and adjust your bets accordingly. When you trainer categories painted an entirely different picture. take the time to break down and take a closer look at these different In spite of Bailes’s poor overall performance, the first categories, you can find many profitable angles that trainers continue trainer form category in Roanoke River Rain’s past per- Finding horses that to implement meet after meet and year after year. formance indicated that his conditioner did have a strong Before Daily Racing Form started incorporating trainer statistics trainer form angle working in his favor today. Category have strong TRAINER into the past performances, it was up to the handicapper to keep his number 4- (180 Days Since Last Race) clearly indicated or her own trainer records. This tiresome practice involved long Bailes was a master with horses returning from long lay- FORM categories and are hours of daily record keeping, which often left handicappers exhaust- offs. The trainer line (+180 Days (7 .29 $11.60) proved that ed, blurry-eyed, and reaching for the nearest cocktail after mulling he won nearly 30 percent of his races with horses return- being sent off at long odds over racing charts for hours on end! Those individuals who were dili- ing from a long rest, and had produced an $11.60 return on gent enough to keep accurate trainer records from the specific tracks a $2 bet for all his loyal backers. is the key to capitalizing they frequented, however, not only had a tremendous advantage over If there was any time Bailes runners were live and their competitors, but also cashed a lot more tickets. “ready,” it was after an extended rest. If that wasn’t fully on the angle. Today, the inclusion of trainer statistics directly into the daily past enough to have you throw a few bucks his way, take an even closer look. If you move to the far right and look at performances saves countless hours of record keeping and arms the the last trainer form category printed on the page (num- handicapper with a wealth of solid information. “Trainer Form” is a ber 25-Maiden Special Weight), you can see that Bailes must-use for any handicapper interested in gaining an advantage over also excels in the type of race he was entered in today. the rest of the betting public who may not be smart enough to fully MdnSpWt (21 .24 $1.71) indicates that Bailes also performs understand and implement this powerful information. fairly well in Maiden Special Weight events. Like his long layoff percentage, his 24 percent win record in Maiden Special Weight How Do We Apply These Angles? races was much better than his overall win percentage of 5 percent for For starters, take a look at the Robert Bailes-trained Roanoke River the year. Rain from the 5th race at Pimlico on Wednesday, May 16th. The bet- ting public was quick to dismiss the chances of this 4-year-old maiden Value Counts who had been sidelined for 13 months. If you weren’t implementing Finding horses that have strong trainer form categories and are some of the trainer information provided from his past performances, being sent off at long odds is the key to capitalizing fully on the angle. it would be hard to argue with the public’s opinion. At odds of 74-1, Roanoke River Rain was a great bet. Valuable trainer Trainer Form, below past performances Roanoke River Rain’s debut performance on April 16th in a Maiden form opportunities like this one exist every day. Remember: Just Special Weight event at 5 1/2 furlongs was pretty dismal. He finished because a trainer’s overall win percentage is not attractive, doesn’t Category 7th in a field of 8, was beaten 12 lengths by the race winner Michael’s mean that one of his more profitable angles isn’t working in his favor Pride, and had been ignored at the betting windows at 34-1. The fact today. Furthermore, an even stronger case could be made regarding + 180 Days (7 .29 $11.60) that Roanoke River Rain was returning to the races over a year later Roanoke River Rain’s chances if you were to look at his strong work- immediately generated some concerns regarding his physical sound- outs at Bowie leading up to the race — but that’s another section! Total Number Winning Return on ness. Was he injured in that initial start? Why did his trainer wait so of Starts percentage a $2 bet 29 Trainer Form Categories 1. First North American Start 16. Blinkers Off 2. 1st Race After Claim 17. Sprint to Route 3. 1st Race With Trainer 18. Route to Sprint 4. 180 Days Since Last Race 19. 31-60 Days Since Last Race.